1 00:00:05,339 --> 00:00:09,309 - For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, 2 00:00:10,043 --> 00:00:12,946 [organ playing] 3 00:00:13,046 --> 00:00:15,949 and some, by longing for it, have wandered away 4 00:00:15,949 --> 00:00:17,751 from the faith- 5 00:00:19,553 --> 00:00:23,323 -and pierced themselves with many griefs. 6 00:00:29,530 --> 00:00:33,700 Everybody's got a price for The Million Dollar Man. 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:34,868 Including you. 8 00:00:34,935 --> 00:00:37,971 [laughs] 9 00:00:38,038 --> 00:00:40,173 - Let's take a review of how Ted DiBiase has developed 10 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,943 into one of today's top stars. 11 00:00:43,043 --> 00:00:44,912 - When Vince met with Ted. 12 00:00:44,978 --> 00:00:46,914 He says-- goes, "I've got an idea. 13 00:00:46,980 --> 00:00:49,149 I think you'd be the perfect guy for it." 14 00:00:49,216 --> 00:00:53,587 - I'm rich, you're poor, and that makes me better than 15 00:00:53,587 --> 00:00:56,623 each and everyone of you. 16 00:00:56,623 --> 00:00:57,958 He said, "I think you'd be one 17 00:00:58,025 --> 00:00:59,660 of the hottest heels I've ever have." 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,028 - It was so well done. 19 00:01:01,094 --> 00:01:03,163 It just fit him perfect. 20 00:01:03,230 --> 00:01:05,632 - He was actually giving away $100 bills everywhere. 21 00:01:05,699 --> 00:01:08,669 I was like, "Yes, this is gonna work." 22 00:01:08,735 --> 00:01:11,271 - You're all a bunch of suckers. 23 00:01:11,338 --> 00:01:13,941 - Everything that he did was horrible. 24 00:01:14,041 --> 00:01:16,109 - Let's hear a big bulldog bark. 25 00:01:16,176 --> 00:01:17,277 - Woof woof. 26 00:01:17,344 --> 00:01:18,845 - And people ate it up. 27 00:01:18,912 --> 00:01:22,349 - Ted was just the consummate heel. 28 00:01:22,349 --> 00:01:24,184 - One of the greatest characters of all time. 29 00:01:24,184 --> 00:01:32,626 - [laughs] 30 00:01:32,626 --> 00:01:34,094 Is that enough? 31 00:01:35,429 --> 00:01:38,999 - I always likened it to selling your soul to the devil. 32 00:01:39,066 --> 00:01:41,068 Temptations were endless. 33 00:01:41,068 --> 00:01:43,203 - And I got caught up in the lifestyle. 34 00:01:43,270 --> 00:01:47,608 - Ted ran hard, I mean, partied and ran hard. 35 00:01:47,674 --> 00:01:49,843 - I think he got himself in trouble. 36 00:01:49,910 --> 00:01:52,312 - We had to share with the- you know, the rest of the world. 37 00:01:52,312 --> 00:01:53,246 We want dad. 38 00:01:53,313 --> 00:01:53,914 We a want dad. 39 00:01:53,981 --> 00:01:54,948 We want him. 40 00:01:55,949 --> 00:01:57,517 - How do you make that transition 41 00:01:57,584 --> 00:02:00,387 to go from superstar to home? 42 00:02:10,931 --> 00:02:12,833 - Well, this is my office. 43 00:02:13,266 --> 00:02:16,069 Well, all of these things have a special meaning to me. 44 00:02:16,069 --> 00:02:18,605 If you throw them all together, it's a history of my life 45 00:02:18,672 --> 00:02:20,941 in professional wrestling. 46 00:02:21,041 --> 00:02:24,811 This is the first action figure of me, and I-I could still 47 00:02:24,878 --> 00:02:28,482 remember the first time I walked into whatever store it was, 48 00:02:28,548 --> 00:02:30,384 and I was like, "Wow." 49 00:02:30,450 --> 00:02:33,086 A little piggybank, Million Dollar Man piggybank. 50 00:02:33,153 --> 00:02:34,221 - There were we go. 51 00:02:34,287 --> 00:02:35,722 [laughter] 52 00:02:35,789 --> 00:02:39,126 - And this picture right here is my mother. 53 00:02:39,192 --> 00:02:42,095 Now, there's a lot of my peers, who like myself or second and 54 00:02:42,195 --> 00:02:45,365 third generation wrestlers, who can say, 55 00:02:45,432 --> 00:02:47,200 "My dad was a wrestler, too." 56 00:02:47,267 --> 00:02:49,369 But there aren't too many that could say, 57 00:02:49,436 --> 00:02:51,571 "My mom AND dad were wrestlers." 58 00:02:54,241 --> 00:02:55,676 I was born Theodore Marvin Wills. 59 00:02:57,744 --> 00:03:00,480 My biological father was a professional singer. 60 00:03:00,547 --> 00:03:03,150 Had a beautiful deep bass voice. 61 00:03:03,216 --> 00:03:05,752 Sang with guys like Tennessee Ernie Ford. 62 00:03:07,187 --> 00:03:09,990 Now, I have a very deep bass voice, but I couldn't carry 63 00:03:10,057 --> 00:03:12,325 a tune if it had handles on it. 64 00:03:12,859 --> 00:03:14,828 My mother and he divorced when I was two. 65 00:03:16,229 --> 00:03:18,799 My mother was an entertainer. 66 00:03:18,865 --> 00:03:23,003 She did, uh, what you call stage show dancing, and I'm not sure 67 00:03:23,070 --> 00:03:27,641 how she transitioned into being a lady wrestler, but she did. 68 00:03:29,142 --> 00:03:31,745 When I was really little, the deal was she says, 69 00:03:31,845 --> 00:03:36,149 "Whatever you do, you sit right where I put you, 70 00:03:36,216 --> 00:03:39,019 and you don't get out of that chair." 71 00:03:39,119 --> 00:03:41,421 She goes out and has this match and, uh, 72 00:03:41,421 --> 00:03:42,956 she getting beat up really bad. 73 00:03:43,023 --> 00:03:45,425 I'm, you know, "That's my mama up there, you know." 74 00:03:45,425 --> 00:03:49,029 So I went running up to the ring, right, when she caught me, 75 00:03:49,096 --> 00:03:53,834 if looks could kill, and all it took was that look on her face, 76 00:03:53,900 --> 00:03:56,636 and I literally turned and ran. 77 00:03:57,471 --> 00:03:59,239 Well, I tell ya, I never got out of my seat again, 78 00:03:59,306 --> 00:04:00,440 that's for sure. 79 00:04:01,775 --> 00:04:05,078 And when I was five, my mother married Mike DiBiase. 80 00:04:05,645 --> 00:04:08,048 Mike DiBiase's wrestling name was "Iron Mike." 81 00:04:08,115 --> 00:04:11,952 - Introducing Iron Mike. 82 00:04:12,018 --> 00:04:15,789 - He was not only a professional wrestler, but 1946, he was the 83 00:04:15,856 --> 00:04:20,527 AAU National Heavyweight Amateur Wrestling Champion. 84 00:04:21,094 --> 00:04:27,367 I wanted to emulate him in life, and of course, the one thing 85 00:04:27,434 --> 00:04:32,672 that he didn't want me to be, uh, was a professional wrestler. 86 00:04:32,739 --> 00:04:34,941 And it wasn't about the wrestling, 87 00:04:35,041 --> 00:04:37,844 it was about the lifestyle of wrestling. 88 00:04:38,311 --> 00:04:41,748 Wrestlers put miles and miles and miles on their vehicles, 89 00:04:41,815 --> 00:04:43,183 having to stay in hotels. 90 00:04:43,283 --> 00:04:45,118 Of course, none of that was covered. 91 00:04:45,185 --> 00:04:47,754 You know, everything was paid out of their own pocket. 92 00:04:48,889 --> 00:04:50,824 He would take me with him every now and then, 93 00:04:50,891 --> 00:04:55,462 and I had probably some of the greatest conversations 94 00:04:55,462 --> 00:04:59,699 of my life with my dad on those trips. 95 00:05:03,069 --> 00:05:05,305 You know this is the guy that-- in the most formative years of 96 00:05:05,405 --> 00:05:10,477 my life in the age of 5 to 15 was the inspiration of my life. 97 00:05:11,178 --> 00:05:12,612 And when I say 15. 98 00:05:12,679 --> 00:05:18,151 that's when I lost him, July the 2nd 1969, in Lubbock, Texas. 99 00:05:19,986 --> 00:05:21,454 - Some people came to the house. 100 00:05:21,555 --> 00:05:25,926 I know they were wrestlers and people we knew, 101 00:05:25,992 --> 00:05:27,661 but it was late at night. 102 00:05:27,727 --> 00:05:29,462 I immediately knew something was wrong. 103 00:05:31,264 --> 00:05:33,967 - One of those great relationships in his wrestling 104 00:05:34,034 --> 00:05:36,970 career was with the Funk family. 105 00:05:37,804 --> 00:05:41,208 - There's not a bigger name in Texas than the Funks. 106 00:05:41,274 --> 00:05:44,211 Everybody came through West Texas in that territory up there 107 00:05:44,277 --> 00:05:47,414 in Amarillo because of Dory Sr. 108 00:05:48,481 --> 00:05:51,551 - Terry Funk's mother, uh, took 109 00:05:51,618 --> 00:05:54,521 me out on the hall and looked me straight in the eye and said, 110 00:05:54,588 --> 00:05:59,626 "Teddy, your dad had a heart attack tonight and died 111 00:05:59,626 --> 00:06:01,895 on the way to the hospital." 112 00:06:01,995 --> 00:06:04,898 And that's how I found out that he was gone. 113 00:06:04,998 --> 00:06:10,070 I remember the, uh, shriek that went out 114 00:06:10,070 --> 00:06:12,606 when they told my mother. 115 00:06:12,672 --> 00:06:13,974 She just lost it. 116 00:06:16,042 --> 00:06:21,748 Terry Funk showed up, and he had my dad's wrestling bag, 117 00:06:21,815 --> 00:06:29,322 And I remember opening that bag and, uh, my dad's, uh-- 118 00:06:31,258 --> 00:06:37,564 his wrestling tights were still wet with his sweat, 119 00:06:37,631 --> 00:06:40,433 and I buried my face in that. 120 00:06:40,500 --> 00:06:43,270 I could smell my dad. 121 00:06:43,336 --> 00:06:46,706 It's funny the things you do in situations like that. 122 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,276 And it was just one of those moments in my life 123 00:06:49,342 --> 00:06:51,111 that I'll never forget. 124 00:06:51,912 --> 00:06:57,751 - Teddy became the father of the family, and Teddy would 125 00:06:57,817 --> 00:07:02,756 do everything, and that was a tragic, tragic time, 126 00:07:03,356 --> 00:07:04,958 and they moved to Arizona. 127 00:07:07,427 --> 00:07:11,197 - As a young man, I didn't go to church that much, 128 00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:13,466 but I prayed a lot for my mother. 129 00:07:13,466 --> 00:07:14,834 She started drinking heavily. 130 00:07:16,536 --> 00:07:18,805 And so I stayed there in Willcox, Arizona 131 00:07:18,872 --> 00:07:20,473 with my grandmother. 132 00:07:23,743 --> 00:07:26,713 Football meant the world to me at that time. 133 00:07:28,281 --> 00:07:31,685 I played offensive guard and tackle. 134 00:07:32,786 --> 00:07:38,158 My driving force was to be good enough to earn that scholarship 135 00:07:38,224 --> 00:07:39,526 to play college football. 136 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:45,265 I graduated in 1972 from Willcox High School. 137 00:07:47,033 --> 00:07:50,503 I had initially signed a letter of intent to play football at 138 00:07:50,603 --> 00:07:52,172 the University of Arizona. 139 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:59,913 I'm watching TV one afternoon and wrestling comes on, 140 00:07:59,980 --> 00:08:03,516 and it's the wrestling out of Amarillo, Texas, The Funks. 141 00:08:04,184 --> 00:08:06,753 And they're promoting that they're gonna bring a show 142 00:08:06,820 --> 00:08:11,424 to Tucson, and I-I hadn't seen any wrestling for three years 143 00:08:11,424 --> 00:08:12,826 since my father died. 144 00:08:14,094 --> 00:08:19,432 So I went to Tucson to see the Funks, and that visit turned 145 00:08:19,499 --> 00:08:23,169 into a visit to West Texas State University. 146 00:08:24,671 --> 00:08:27,741 In the back of my mind as a kid growing up, 147 00:08:27,841 --> 00:08:29,309 I always wanted to be a wrestler. 148 00:08:29,376 --> 00:08:31,544 I always wanted to be my dad. 149 00:08:31,644 --> 00:08:35,448 So going to West Texas State served two purposes. 150 00:08:35,515 --> 00:08:38,785 Number one, I was there on a football scholarship, 151 00:08:38,852 --> 00:08:41,755 and number two, it would be the lead into my professional 152 00:08:41,821 --> 00:08:45,825 wrestling career and my family's relationship 153 00:08:45,892 --> 00:08:47,193 with the Funk family. 154 00:08:47,260 --> 00:08:49,562 You know, I'd basically known them all of my life, 155 00:08:49,629 --> 00:08:53,299 and I knew that they would help train me to get into wrestling. 156 00:08:54,167 --> 00:08:56,202 - I knew he was gonna be in the business. 157 00:08:56,269 --> 00:08:59,472 I wanted him to be in the business, of course. 158 00:08:59,539 --> 00:09:04,477 I just wanted him to not go in as early as he did. 159 00:09:04,544 --> 00:09:08,548 - I heard Mom and him talking about a career path 160 00:09:08,615 --> 00:09:10,884 in wrestling, and it was always, 161 00:09:10,950 --> 00:09:14,354 "No, that's not what's gonna happen." 162 00:09:14,421 --> 00:09:22,862 - 1974 in Lubbock, Texas, I had my first match in the ring where 163 00:09:22,862 --> 00:09:26,766 my father had his last, and I didn't even think about it 164 00:09:26,833 --> 00:09:28,701 until after it was over. 165 00:09:28,802 --> 00:09:32,972 - Weighing 247 pounds, Ted DiBiase. 166 00:09:33,039 --> 00:09:35,708 - Ted DiBiase, like many others, 167 00:09:35,775 --> 00:09:39,412 became a honed and skilled wrestler in Mid-South. 168 00:09:39,479 --> 00:09:41,448 - The Figure 4 Leglock by Ted DiBiase. 169 00:09:41,514 --> 00:09:44,184 - It was a big territory of Oklahoma, Arkansas, 170 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:46,686 Louisiana, and Mississippi. 171 00:09:46,753 --> 00:09:49,756 I was exposed to so much great talent. 172 00:09:49,823 --> 00:09:51,357 - Ted DiBiase, who was just a teenager, 173 00:09:51,424 --> 00:09:55,662 dedicated himself to someday honoring his father's memory. 174 00:09:55,728 --> 00:09:58,198 - It's DiBiase after Flair. 175 00:09:58,264 --> 00:10:02,001 - Great work ethic, really good performer, and-and, uh, 176 00:10:02,068 --> 00:10:04,804 he was-was trained and hung around the-the- 177 00:10:04,871 --> 00:10:06,840 two of the best ever, Terry and Dory. 178 00:10:06,906 --> 00:10:08,908 - Dropkick by DiBiase. 179 00:10:08,908 --> 00:10:10,944 - I had one year of college left, and I didn't go back. 180 00:10:12,512 --> 00:10:13,680 People were telling me, 181 00:10:13,746 --> 00:10:16,483 "Kid, you got it, and you're going places." 182 00:10:16,549 --> 00:10:19,419 - And it's funny because he never really had a gimmick. 183 00:10:21,621 --> 00:10:23,790 - No ring wear or anything like that. 184 00:10:25,091 --> 00:10:26,126 Yo, he was a wrestler. 185 00:10:26,826 --> 00:10:31,865 He was a tough 6'4", 265-pound wrestler. 186 00:10:31,865 --> 00:10:32,866 - Piledriver. 187 00:10:32,932 --> 00:10:34,701 DiBiase just teed off. 188 00:10:35,101 --> 00:10:37,837 - And one day I got this call from Ted. 189 00:10:38,905 --> 00:10:41,508 He says, "Well, I got a call from Vince. 190 00:10:43,276 --> 00:10:48,281 Do you think I should stay here in Oklahoma or go to New York?" 191 00:10:48,348 --> 00:10:52,018 I said, "Get your ass up to New York," is what I told him. 192 00:10:59,025 --> 00:11:01,427 - The first time I wrestled Ted DiBiase was 193 00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:03,062 in Madison Square Garden. 194 00:11:03,129 --> 00:11:07,233 - The Incredible Hulk Hogan. 195 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:10,837 His opponent, Ted DiBiase. 196 00:11:11,271 --> 00:11:13,473 [bell rings] 197 00:11:13,473 --> 00:11:16,843 - Ted DiBiase had made quite a name for himself 198 00:11:16,910 --> 00:11:20,480 and was considered a great technical wrestler. 199 00:11:20,547 --> 00:11:22,749 And that was the type of wrestler that 200 00:11:22,815 --> 00:11:24,951 Vince and James McMahon wanted. 201 00:11:26,719 --> 00:11:29,122 - During the territory era, a-a wrestler would come 202 00:11:29,188 --> 00:11:32,625 into a wrestling promotion, work for a few months, 203 00:11:32,625 --> 00:11:36,663 and then usually lose to whoever the next top good guy might be 204 00:11:36,663 --> 00:11:37,864 on his way out. 205 00:11:37,864 --> 00:11:39,832 - [indistinct] armdrag. 206 00:11:39,899 --> 00:11:43,269 - I remember Ben Sr. coming to me and saying, 207 00:11:43,269 --> 00:11:45,872 "Hey, we got a lot of high hopes for this guy." 208 00:11:47,073 --> 00:11:48,675 - Nervous wreck. 209 00:11:48,675 --> 00:11:49,809 Ted made me look great. 210 00:11:51,344 --> 00:11:54,113 - Now he has a little bear hug and it could be over. 211 00:11:54,113 --> 00:11:55,748 [bell rings] 212 00:11:55,815 --> 00:11:57,984 - It's over. 213 00:11:58,051 --> 00:12:00,186 - You know, I was wrestling that night in The Garden 214 00:12:00,253 --> 00:12:02,589 and then I was going back to Texas. 215 00:12:04,891 --> 00:12:07,594 Terry Funk called me and he said, "You need to get to 216 00:12:07,660 --> 00:12:11,664 Georgia because there's three names in the hat for the-- 217 00:12:11,731 --> 00:12:14,701 who possibly would-- might be the next NWA World Champion. 218 00:12:16,236 --> 00:12:19,272 And the three names are Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, 219 00:12:19,339 --> 00:12:20,840 and Ted DiBiase." 220 00:12:21,341 --> 00:12:23,343 To be number one in professional wrestling, 221 00:12:23,443 --> 00:12:26,312 you gotta be a winner, and you gotta go where 222 00:12:26,312 --> 00:12:27,347 the action is and where the best is. 223 00:12:28,248 --> 00:12:31,484 - For all the regional territories that existed, 224 00:12:31,551 --> 00:12:35,154 no championship meant more at that time than 225 00:12:35,221 --> 00:12:38,625 the National Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight Championship. 226 00:12:38,625 --> 00:12:43,796 Ted DiBiase had the skills to be an NWA champion. 227 00:12:44,397 --> 00:12:48,134 - When I went to Georgia, that was when Melanie and I 228 00:12:48,201 --> 00:12:52,171 met in Atlanta on April the 26th, 1981. 229 00:12:55,241 --> 00:12:58,311 - We actually met at a swimming pool, 230 00:12:58,378 --> 00:13:03,683 and the guy that I was friends with said to Ted, 231 00:13:03,750 --> 00:13:05,518 "This girl over here wants your autograph." 232 00:13:05,585 --> 00:13:06,619 - And I said, "Okay, what's your name?" 233 00:13:06,719 --> 00:13:07,487 She goes, "Melanie. 234 00:13:07,553 --> 00:13:09,022 But everybody calls me Mel." 235 00:13:09,088 --> 00:13:10,223 So, I put, 236 00:13:10,223 --> 00:13:12,625 "To Mel, the best-looking girl at the pool for sure." 237 00:13:12,692 --> 00:13:13,826 And I said, 238 00:13:13,826 --> 00:13:15,662 "I don't even know you, and I'm gonna sign this love." 239 00:13:15,728 --> 00:13:16,562 And I did. 240 00:13:16,629 --> 00:13:20,233 "Love, Ted DiBiase. 4/26/81." 241 00:13:21,834 --> 00:13:24,170 - I looked at him, and I was like, 242 00:13:24,237 --> 00:13:26,472 "Well, what number are you?" 243 00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:27,640 - "What number am I?" 244 00:13:27,707 --> 00:13:29,075 - "You gotta be a football player." 245 00:13:29,142 --> 00:13:30,043 - She says, 246 00:13:30,109 --> 00:13:31,010 "So you play for the Falcons, don't you?" 247 00:13:31,077 --> 00:13:34,047 [laughs] 248 00:13:35,782 --> 00:13:37,817 I said, "I'm a professional wrestler." 249 00:13:37,917 --> 00:13:39,719 - DiBiase, oh. 250 00:13:40,119 --> 00:13:41,621 - "Do you mean like that stuff on TV?" 251 00:13:41,721 --> 00:13:44,390 - Toehold into the, uh, figure four. 252 00:13:44,457 --> 00:13:45,825 - [laughs] 253 00:13:45,825 --> 00:13:47,026 She wasn't too impressed with that. 254 00:13:47,026 --> 00:13:48,828 I don't have to stand here and give you my credentials. 255 00:13:48,828 --> 00:13:50,463 Everybody knows what I can do. 256 00:13:50,530 --> 00:13:55,601 - He did ask me after that if we could go out on a date. 257 00:13:56,069 --> 00:13:58,771 And I said absolutely not 258 00:13:58,838 --> 00:14:01,174 because how am I gonna defend myself? 259 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:02,275 I don't know this guy. 260 00:14:02,342 --> 00:14:03,643 He's huge. 261 00:14:03,710 --> 00:14:06,512 So, I said, "Let's just meet at the pool." 262 00:14:06,579 --> 00:14:09,949 I needed to know who he was before I was alone in a car 263 00:14:10,016 --> 00:14:11,384 with him somewhere. 264 00:14:13,786 --> 00:14:19,325 And we ended up just having a really close connection 265 00:14:19,392 --> 00:14:21,127 right from the start. 266 00:14:21,627 --> 00:14:23,296 - That was the beginning of it. 267 00:14:23,863 --> 00:14:29,969 And so New Year's Eve 1981 with JYD as my best man, 268 00:14:30,036 --> 00:14:31,604 Mel and I got married. 269 00:14:32,605 --> 00:14:34,240 - Three months after we got married, 270 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:37,443 I found out I was pregnant. 271 00:14:40,113 --> 00:14:44,517 - There was a lot of talk of Ted DiBiase becoming the next NWA 272 00:14:44,584 --> 00:14:48,721 World's Heavyweight Champion, but, uh, he was passed by. 273 00:14:48,788 --> 00:14:51,591 And so, uh, Ted DiBiase looked at his options 274 00:14:51,657 --> 00:14:53,993 and he left the Georgia territory. 275 00:14:54,060 --> 00:14:55,428 He spent time with his family. 276 00:14:56,796 --> 00:14:59,165 But he was always looking for that next big thing. 277 00:14:59,899 --> 00:15:02,201 [crowd cheers] 278 00:15:02,268 --> 00:15:03,469 - Look at this. 279 00:15:03,536 --> 00:15:04,670 - He slammed him. 280 00:15:04,670 --> 00:15:05,638 - He slammed the Giant. 281 00:15:05,705 --> 00:15:06,773 - I don't believe it. 282 00:15:06,839 --> 00:15:08,841 - Hulk dropping a big leg. 283 00:15:08,908 --> 00:15:10,710 Over for the cover. It's over. 284 00:15:10,777 --> 00:15:11,911 - He got him. 285 00:15:11,978 --> 00:15:14,714 - I opened the hotel room door, and I pick up this paper 286 00:15:14,781 --> 00:15:18,117 and the front page says, "World indoor attendance record. 287 00:15:18,184 --> 00:15:21,187 93,000 people at the Pontiac Silverdome 288 00:15:21,187 --> 00:15:22,789 for WrestleMania III." 289 00:15:23,589 --> 00:15:25,158 I mean, my mouth dropped open. 290 00:15:25,224 --> 00:15:27,760 I was like, "Oh my gosh." 291 00:15:29,028 --> 00:15:32,765 All I remember thinking is that I'm going to have to ultimately 292 00:15:32,832 --> 00:15:34,434 be working for that company. 293 00:15:35,835 --> 00:15:38,171 - Ted DiBiase, and I had been together in Mid-South Wrestling 294 00:15:38,404 --> 00:15:40,506 and I had made the move. 295 00:15:40,606 --> 00:15:44,610 I was coming to New York to work for WWE. 296 00:15:44,677 --> 00:15:48,114 While I did that, Ted was on a tour in Japan. 297 00:15:48,114 --> 00:15:50,116 - So I get this call from Bruce, and Bruce says, 298 00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:53,619 "Vince McMahon is extremely interested in you." 299 00:15:55,421 --> 00:15:56,989 - I had just had a baby. 300 00:15:57,056 --> 00:15:59,025 I was a full-time mom. 301 00:16:00,293 --> 00:16:01,828 I could see it on his face. 302 00:16:01,828 --> 00:16:05,865 This was a really important conversation he was about 303 00:16:05,932 --> 00:16:10,002 to have that could possibly change his life and mine. 304 00:16:12,038 --> 00:16:15,107 - When Vince met with Ted, he says, "I've got an idea. 305 00:16:16,542 --> 00:16:18,444 I think you'd be the perfect guy for it." 306 00:16:19,178 --> 00:16:22,482 Ted had the look and Ted had a bit of the swagger. 307 00:16:22,949 --> 00:16:25,818 He says, "If you wanna come up here, I can guarantee you that 308 00:16:25,918 --> 00:16:28,488 you'll make more money you ever dreamed of. 309 00:16:28,554 --> 00:16:30,823 We'll have more fun than you could possibly imagine having 310 00:16:30,823 --> 00:16:32,024 in this business." 311 00:16:32,758 --> 00:16:34,360 - Then he laid it out for me. 312 00:16:34,427 --> 00:16:37,196 The one thing everybody hates is someone, 313 00:16:37,263 --> 00:16:40,099 who by virtue of their wealth, they bully people. 314 00:16:40,666 --> 00:16:42,969 That's the essence of this character. 315 00:16:43,035 --> 00:16:44,203 And he said, 316 00:16:44,270 --> 00:16:47,173 "I think you'd be one of the hottest heels I've ever had." 317 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,241 Off the cuff, I said, 318 00:16:48,341 --> 00:16:50,042 "Well, he-he sounds like a million-dollar man to me." 319 00:16:55,848 --> 00:16:58,784 For all you people out there who aren't familiar with me, 320 00:16:58,851 --> 00:17:00,920 let me introduce myself. 321 00:17:00,987 --> 00:17:02,288 I'm Ted DiBiase. 322 00:17:02,355 --> 00:17:04,123 I'm The Million Dollar Man. 323 00:17:04,190 --> 00:17:09,562 Money can and does buy you anything or anybody. 324 00:17:10,696 --> 00:17:12,698 - 100% Vince McMahon's vision- 325 00:17:12,798 --> 00:17:14,667 -Don't you wish you had money? 326 00:17:14,734 --> 00:17:15,668 Just throw it away. 327 00:17:16,836 --> 00:17:21,274 - -to create this character that exploits the fact 328 00:17:21,274 --> 00:17:24,544 that everybody has a price. 329 00:17:24,644 --> 00:17:27,280 - Everybody's got a price for The Million Dollar Man. 330 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,116 - What a great gimmick to be given to you. 331 00:17:30,116 --> 00:17:33,152 You-you're basically playing Vince McMahon, you know? 332 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,990 - In the 1980s, American pop culture was all about greed 333 00:17:38,057 --> 00:17:42,428 and excess and how much money you could actually make. 334 00:17:42,428 --> 00:17:45,598 One of the biggest movies in theaters was Wall Street. 335 00:17:45,665 --> 00:17:50,002 One of the biggest television shows in the world was Dynasty. 336 00:17:50,069 --> 00:17:53,306 The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, 337 00:17:53,406 --> 00:17:56,208 embodied that in the WWE. 338 00:17:56,275 --> 00:17:59,278 - What would it take to make this a private pool right now? 339 00:17:59,345 --> 00:18:00,713 - I'm afraid I can't do that. 340 00:18:00,780 --> 00:18:02,448 - It was just a fun ride. 341 00:18:02,515 --> 00:18:05,518 He had-- He was having so much fun he loved it. 342 00:18:05,584 --> 00:18:07,420 - I pay more taxes in a month than these people 343 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:08,688 make in a year, Virgil- [finger snap] 344 00:18:10,022 --> 00:18:12,358 - He was actually giving away $100 bills everywhere. 345 00:18:12,425 --> 00:18:15,761 I was like, "Yes, this is gonna work. 346 00:18:15,828 --> 00:18:17,163 This is brilliant." 347 00:18:17,229 --> 00:18:18,564 - Virgil. [finger snap] 348 00:18:22,702 --> 00:18:23,636 [finger snap] 349 00:18:23,703 --> 00:18:24,670 Virgil. 350 00:18:26,205 --> 00:18:27,173 [bell ringing] 351 00:18:28,074 --> 00:18:29,475 - As a Million Dollar Man, you're not gonna 352 00:18:29,542 --> 00:18:31,711 do things yourself. 353 00:18:31,711 --> 00:18:34,680 So, you have to have a man that is going do the dirty work that 354 00:18:34,747 --> 00:18:36,749 you don't feel comfortable doing. 355 00:18:36,849 --> 00:18:38,384 - Come on you little -- get out of the pool. 356 00:18:38,384 --> 00:18:39,185 All of you. 357 00:18:39,185 --> 00:18:40,286 Fall out. 358 00:18:40,353 --> 00:18:43,189 - Oh, Virgil was, uh, key to this, I think, you know? 359 00:18:43,189 --> 00:18:45,725 - Virgil takes care of all of life's little problems 360 00:18:45,791 --> 00:18:48,194 that I don't have time to take care of anymore. 361 00:18:48,594 --> 00:18:50,029 - Million Dollar Man would snap his finger, 362 00:18:50,096 --> 00:18:51,063 "Hey, Virgil, get this," 363 00:18:51,130 --> 00:18:52,465 Virgil was right there with it. 364 00:18:52,531 --> 00:18:56,869 - I'm rich, you're poor, and that makes me better than 365 00:18:56,969 --> 00:18:59,672 each and every one of you. 366 00:18:59,672 --> 00:19:00,873 [crowd boos] 367 00:19:00,873 --> 00:19:04,276 - Ted would use his money to make people do things 368 00:19:04,343 --> 00:19:09,849 that they might not ordinarily do, but for the right price 369 00:19:09,915 --> 00:19:10,950 maybe they would. 370 00:19:11,017 --> 00:19:12,718 - Let's hear a big bulldog bark. 371 00:19:12,785 --> 00:19:14,086 - Woof woof. 372 00:19:14,153 --> 00:19:15,421 - The vignettes were great. 373 00:19:15,521 --> 00:19:16,622 - The vignettes. 374 00:19:16,722 --> 00:19:18,591 - Now, get down, and give me 10 push-ups. 375 00:19:20,092 --> 00:19:24,063 [crowd counting] 376 00:19:25,431 --> 00:19:27,500 - Doing your best just ain't good enough 377 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:29,201 for The Million Dollar Man. 378 00:19:29,802 --> 00:19:32,505 You're all a bunch of suckers. 379 00:19:32,605 --> 00:19:34,106 [laughs] 380 00:19:34,206 --> 00:19:37,810 All those things that we did all those people got the money. 381 00:19:41,580 --> 00:19:44,950 - Everything that he did was horrible, you know, 382 00:19:45,017 --> 00:19:46,085 how he treated people. 383 00:19:46,152 --> 00:19:46,986 How dare he? 384 00:19:46,986 --> 00:19:47,953 And people ate it up. 385 00:19:49,188 --> 00:19:53,125 - If you can dribble this basketball 15 times, look here, 386 00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:56,062 I'm going to give you $500. 387 00:19:56,162 --> 00:19:58,864 - And realize the heat is you offer somebody money 388 00:19:58,931 --> 00:19:59,965 to do something, 389 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:02,935 they just about get there- 390 00:20:04,136 --> 00:20:05,237 -and then you take it away from them. 391 00:20:05,304 --> 00:20:08,641 - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. 392 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:10,509 Oops. 393 00:20:10,509 --> 00:20:12,344 Aww. 394 00:20:12,445 --> 00:20:14,146 - That child learned a hard lesson that day, 395 00:20:15,314 --> 00:20:17,716 that if you don't do the job- 396 00:20:17,783 --> 00:20:20,753 - You don't get paid. 397 00:20:20,820 --> 00:20:22,021 [laughs] 398 00:20:22,121 --> 00:20:24,190 - The laughs was- was diabolical. 399 00:20:24,256 --> 00:20:26,826 - [laughs] 400 00:20:26,892 --> 00:20:28,461 - The laugh made it. 401 00:20:28,561 --> 00:20:30,596 The tagging, every vignette with that laugh, was like, 402 00:20:30,663 --> 00:20:32,865 "What are you going when Hulkamania runs wild?" 403 00:20:32,865 --> 00:20:34,633 You know, the laugh was the same thing. 404 00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:36,068 [laughs] 405 00:20:36,168 --> 00:20:38,471 - That's an exaggeration of my regular laugh. 406 00:20:38,537 --> 00:20:42,408 Vince just happened to be walking by, and he heard it and 407 00:20:42,475 --> 00:20:44,910 he goes , "That's The Million Dollar Man. 408 00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:47,847 I want to hear that laugh at the end of every interview." 409 00:20:47,913 --> 00:20:49,648 [laughs] 410 00:20:49,715 --> 00:20:51,517 And I tell people that now, all the time, I say you know, 411 00:20:51,584 --> 00:20:57,189 "I had almost a 20-year career but what am I remembered for?" 412 00:20:57,256 --> 00:20:59,458 [laughs] 413 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,395 - Who wouldn't want to be The Million Dollar Man? 414 00:21:03,462 --> 00:21:05,030 Who wouldn't want to live that way? 415 00:21:05,097 --> 00:21:09,201 And Ted, he lived that character. 416 00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:11,804 - You know, you've done a lot ofthings. 417 00:21:11,871 --> 00:21:13,839 What's the nicest thing you've done? 418 00:21:13,906 --> 00:21:15,875 [laughs] 419 00:21:15,941 --> 00:21:17,743 - Gee, that's a $100 bill. 420 00:21:17,843 --> 00:21:20,312 - You want that $100 bill, kid? 421 00:21:20,646 --> 00:21:23,149 A little flash cash was Vince's idea. 422 00:21:23,516 --> 00:21:25,351 We were going to try to make the public believe 423 00:21:25,417 --> 00:21:26,585 you're really this guy. 424 00:21:26,585 --> 00:21:27,786 So I says, 425 00:21:27,853 --> 00:21:31,724 "If you go in and buy a cup of coffee, throw down a $100 bill. 426 00:21:32,091 --> 00:21:36,562 - Ted also was able to live the gimmick in real life. 427 00:21:37,329 --> 00:21:40,299 Had stretch limousines pick him up at the airport to and from 428 00:21:40,399 --> 00:21:44,503 the arena, stayed at the finest hotels paid for by the company 429 00:21:44,603 --> 00:21:46,305 to protect the gimmick. 430 00:21:46,405 --> 00:21:49,308 - He also has to fly first class, everybody else 431 00:21:49,408 --> 00:21:53,312 in the back, but not Ted, he's The Million Dollar Man. 432 00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:54,446 Got to live the gimmick. 433 00:21:54,980 --> 00:21:56,348 - Oh, it was- it was a blast. 434 00:21:56,448 --> 00:21:59,552 - Oh, there it is, the Million Dollar Dream he slapped it on. 435 00:22:00,619 --> 00:22:03,189 - You know, I would beat my opponent, and I'd take a $100 436 00:22:03,255 --> 00:22:06,992 bill, shove the 100 in their mouth and, you know, 437 00:22:07,059 --> 00:22:08,761 when they got back to the dressing room I'd say, 438 00:22:08,828 --> 00:22:09,595 "Cough it up." 439 00:22:09,662 --> 00:22:11,297 [laughs] 440 00:22:12,598 --> 00:22:15,134 It was like a fairy tale at the beginning, and I go from 441 00:22:15,201 --> 00:22:18,270 working, like, every wrestler used to work, you're- 442 00:22:18,337 --> 00:22:20,806 you're putting the miles on your car and, you know, 443 00:22:20,873 --> 00:22:22,474 none of that is paid for. 444 00:22:23,142 --> 00:22:25,844 I go from that to Learjets and limousines. 445 00:22:26,679 --> 00:22:28,714 While all the wrestlers are out there beating each other 446 00:22:28,781 --> 00:22:32,685 to pieces, I'm sitting back relaxing contemplating 447 00:22:32,751 --> 00:22:33,719 my next move. 448 00:22:34,153 --> 00:22:35,387 - He didn't need the competition. 449 00:22:35,454 --> 00:22:37,156 He didn't need the sportsmanship. 450 00:22:37,223 --> 00:22:39,525 He didn't even need to win. 451 00:22:39,592 --> 00:22:44,196 He was willing to use his money to get the WWE Championship. 452 00:22:45,664 --> 00:22:48,067 - Everybody has a price for The Million Dollar Man. 453 00:22:48,133 --> 00:22:51,437 I'm going to prove it to you in the biggest way I know how. 454 00:22:52,404 --> 00:22:54,707 I'm going to buy 455 00:22:54,807 --> 00:22:59,411 the World Wrestling -- Heavyweight Championship. 456 00:22:59,478 --> 00:23:01,447 - He got so much heat because people were like, 457 00:23:01,513 --> 00:23:03,249 "He could b-buy the belt? 458 00:23:03,315 --> 00:23:05,217 He could buy a championship? 459 00:23:05,317 --> 00:23:07,920 Is there no integrity in the WWE?" 460 00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:10,356 It immediately elevated him. 461 00:23:10,422 --> 00:23:13,025 - That's right, baby, it's going to be mine. 462 00:23:13,025 --> 00:23:14,760 Lock, stock, and barrel. 463 00:23:18,597 --> 00:23:22,868 The Million Dollar Man always gets what he wants. 464 00:23:22,968 --> 00:23:25,604 I went out, and I bought André the Giant. 465 00:23:25,671 --> 00:23:29,675 This man will beat Hulk Hogan and the Heavyweight Title 466 00:23:29,742 --> 00:23:30,676 will be mine. 467 00:23:30,743 --> 00:23:31,910 [crowd cheers] 468 00:23:31,977 --> 00:23:34,013 - Welcome to the largest television audience 469 00:23:34,079 --> 00:23:36,448 in World Wrestling -- history. 470 00:23:37,049 --> 00:23:40,619 - The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, purchased 471 00:23:40,719 --> 00:23:45,057 André the Giant with the intention of André winning 472 00:23:45,157 --> 00:23:50,996 the WWE Championship, so he can hand it over to DiBiase. 473 00:23:51,597 --> 00:23:55,334 - And it was also the first time that wrestling had been 474 00:23:55,401 --> 00:24:01,407 on prime-time network television in many years. 475 00:24:01,473 --> 00:24:02,374 - Here comes the Hulkster. 476 00:24:02,441 --> 00:24:03,609 Oh my. 477 00:24:03,676 --> 00:24:05,311 - I saw something the other day 478 00:24:05,311 --> 00:24:09,114 it's still the largest viewed audience for that time slot. 479 00:24:09,181 --> 00:24:11,116 - That was a smart move by André. 480 00:24:11,183 --> 00:24:14,586 - Championship is on the line, and the unthinkable happens. 481 00:24:14,586 --> 00:24:16,121 - Suplex right on top of him. 482 00:24:16,188 --> 00:24:16,889 - He's on him 483 00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:18,857 - One, we got two. 484 00:24:18,958 --> 00:24:19,625 That's it. 485 00:24:19,692 --> 00:24:20,225 Well, no. 486 00:24:20,292 --> 00:24:20,926 Hold on. 487 00:24:20,993 --> 00:24:21,827 - He got him. 488 00:24:21,827 --> 00:24:22,728 [bell rings] 489 00:24:22,795 --> 00:24:23,462 - He got him. 490 00:24:23,562 --> 00:24:24,430 - No, he didn't. 491 00:24:24,496 --> 00:24:25,831 - The referee counted three. 492 00:24:25,898 --> 00:24:28,567 - A fast count that doesn't even acknowledge that Hogan's 493 00:24:28,634 --> 00:24:30,636 shoulders were up. 494 00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:34,673 Ted DiBiase has not just paid off André the Giant. 495 00:24:34,673 --> 00:24:36,508 - The one in the ring took the money. 496 00:24:36,608 --> 00:24:37,609 It had to be- 497 00:24:37,676 --> 00:24:39,912 There has to be some chicanery going on. 498 00:24:39,978 --> 00:24:40,946 - Ted DiBiase bought him off. 499 00:24:41,714 --> 00:24:45,351 - Some guy named The Million Dollar Man 500 00:24:45,417 --> 00:24:47,720 helped the Giant just a little. 501 00:24:47,786 --> 00:24:51,090 - The loophole there was once André won the championship, 502 00:24:51,156 --> 00:24:54,193 he surrendered the championship to 503 00:24:54,259 --> 00:24:56,428 The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. 504 00:24:56,495 --> 00:24:58,897 - I surrender the World Champion- 505 00:24:58,998 --> 00:25:01,367 Championship to Ted DiBiase. 506 00:25:01,433 --> 00:25:01,967 - Wait a minute. 507 00:25:02,034 --> 00:25:02,935 Hold on. 508 00:25:03,002 --> 00:25:04,269 André, what are you saying you- 509 00:25:04,370 --> 00:25:05,871 - There was a big fuss about that. 510 00:25:05,938 --> 00:25:07,206 [laughs] 511 00:25:07,272 --> 00:25:09,475 - Million Dollar Man with a championship. 512 00:25:09,541 --> 00:25:11,377 That's not legal, I don't think. 513 00:25:11,443 --> 00:25:15,347 - Because of the circumstances surrounding the title switch 514 00:25:15,447 --> 00:25:17,816 a decision was made by WWE. 515 00:25:17,883 --> 00:25:20,919 - Ted DiBiase is also not the 516 00:25:20,986 --> 00:25:24,423 World Wrestling -- Champion. 517 00:25:24,523 --> 00:25:27,026 I now declare the title vacant. 518 00:25:27,092 --> 00:25:30,362 - And there was going to be a tournament at WrestleMania IV 519 00:25:30,429 --> 00:25:31,997 to determine a new champion. 520 00:25:32,064 --> 00:25:34,032 - Hi, WrestleMania IV. 521 00:25:34,967 --> 00:25:39,438 - The very short list of people who have gone on last 522 00:25:39,505 --> 00:25:43,375 at WrestleMania, there's a reason Ted DiBiase 523 00:25:43,442 --> 00:25:45,644 found himself in that spot. 524 00:25:46,311 --> 00:25:48,113 - Savage in deep trouble. 525 00:25:48,113 --> 00:25:54,586 - It was because Ted DiBiase was the best villainous wrestler 526 00:25:54,653 --> 00:25:56,955 on the WWE roster. 527 00:25:58,390 --> 00:25:59,925 - Suplex delivered. 528 00:25:59,992 --> 00:26:03,362 - WrestleMania IV, the idea was I would somehow 529 00:26:03,429 --> 00:26:06,231 become the champion. 530 00:26:06,632 --> 00:26:07,966 - Oh, look at that shot. 531 00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:15,874 - But now, Vince is marketing toys and games to children. 532 00:26:17,142 --> 00:26:19,244 It's about making that money. 533 00:26:19,311 --> 00:26:22,114 You know, if you're the champion, and you're a heel, 534 00:26:22,181 --> 00:26:24,650 you're not going to be a champion long. 535 00:26:24,716 --> 00:26:27,352 - Oh, he clobbered The Million Dollar Man 536 00:26:27,419 --> 00:26:30,823 - Because all those kids want to see the championship belt 537 00:26:30,923 --> 00:26:31,790 around their hero. 538 00:26:31,857 --> 00:26:33,125 [crowd cheers] 539 00:26:33,192 --> 00:26:34,026 - Oh. 540 00:26:34,026 --> 00:26:35,227 - The flying elbow. 541 00:26:35,227 --> 00:26:36,628 Hooks the leg. 542 00:26:36,695 --> 00:26:37,729 It's over. 543 00:26:37,796 --> 00:26:38,564 [crowd cheers] 544 00:26:38,630 --> 00:26:39,465 [bell rings] 545 00:26:39,531 --> 00:26:40,666 - We have a new champion. 546 00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:46,705 - Ted DiBiase should have been a five-time world champion. 547 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,008 Easily two or three. 548 00:26:50,075 --> 00:26:52,845 Easily, but he didn't need it. 549 00:26:52,911 --> 00:26:54,213 He could draw money. 550 00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:56,448 He was believable as hell. 551 00:26:57,116 --> 00:26:59,585 His work was off the charts. 552 00:27:00,452 --> 00:27:01,487 - It's The Million Dollar Man. 553 00:27:01,553 --> 00:27:02,955 - Oh, wow. 554 00:27:03,021 --> 00:27:04,022 Gosh. 555 00:27:04,122 --> 00:27:06,825 - So I said, "I don't need your stinking belt 556 00:27:06,825 --> 00:27:10,596 I'll create my own title, I'm The Million Dollar Man." 557 00:27:10,662 --> 00:27:12,164 You are a designer of fine jewelry. 558 00:27:12,231 --> 00:27:12,965 Are you not? 559 00:27:13,031 --> 00:27:14,199 [chuckles] 560 00:27:14,266 --> 00:27:15,634 Oh, wait, of course, you are. I wouldn't have come to you. 561 00:27:15,634 --> 00:27:19,438 - The Million Dollar Man wouldn't have just 562 00:27:19,505 --> 00:27:21,807 a regular championship. 563 00:27:21,874 --> 00:27:25,844 - I want gold, I want diamonds, and spare no expense. 564 00:27:25,911 --> 00:27:29,481 - And Terry Betteridge in Greenwich, Connecticut 565 00:27:29,548 --> 00:27:32,317 was a jeweler that Vince knew that created 566 00:27:32,384 --> 00:27:34,419 this championship belt for us. 567 00:27:34,953 --> 00:27:36,221 - It's mine. 568 00:27:36,321 --> 00:27:37,789 It's mine. 569 00:27:37,789 --> 00:27:39,625 Oh my gosh, it was amazing. 570 00:27:39,625 --> 00:27:42,194 I give you, Brother Love, 571 00:27:42,261 --> 00:27:47,065 The Million Dollar Championship belt. 572 00:27:47,065 --> 00:27:49,835 There's 700 stones in the face of the belt. 573 00:27:49,835 --> 00:27:52,104 Well, those are all cubic zirconium. 574 00:27:52,204 --> 00:27:54,439 I asked my wife, "What's a cubic zirconium? 575 00:27:54,506 --> 00:27:56,675 She goes, "Almost a diamond." 576 00:27:56,675 --> 00:27:57,776 And I said, 577 00:27:57,843 --> 00:28:00,345 "Okay, it's almost a diamond, so it's worth something. 578 00:28:00,445 --> 00:28:02,948 The real joke is in the back of the belt, 579 00:28:03,048 --> 00:28:04,249 there's three real diamonds. 580 00:28:04,316 --> 00:28:06,218 I said, "Why?" 581 00:28:06,318 --> 00:28:08,287 "Well, if anybody asked you, are the diamonds real? 582 00:28:08,353 --> 00:28:10,589 You can say yes, and you won't be lying." 583 00:28:10,589 --> 00:28:12,824 Nothing means more to me than money. 584 00:28:12,891 --> 00:28:16,428 So nothing means more to me than this championship belt. 585 00:28:18,430 --> 00:28:22,768 - Back then, if you were a main player in WWE, 586 00:28:22,834 --> 00:28:26,638 that meant you were a character very familiar to the mainstream. 587 00:28:26,705 --> 00:28:31,643 And I would say every person in Western society at that time had 588 00:28:31,710 --> 00:28:34,546 heard of and probably seen The Million Dollar Man. 589 00:28:34,646 --> 00:28:37,516 - And it seems to me that I should have been out here 590 00:28:37,516 --> 00:28:39,017 about 30 minutes ago. 591 00:28:39,117 --> 00:28:42,521 And since I wasn't, I think you owe me a little money. 592 00:28:44,990 --> 00:28:47,793 - It moved so quickly into that- 593 00:28:49,394 --> 00:28:52,264 -limousines and room service and 594 00:28:52,331 --> 00:28:58,537 suites and private jets, and I'm at home with three boys. 595 00:28:58,604 --> 00:29:02,975 You're just rolling along and trying to survive 596 00:29:03,041 --> 00:29:04,977 all the bumps that come along with it. 597 00:29:06,044 --> 00:29:08,313 - We, as his kids, we had to share him with the- 598 00:29:08,313 --> 00:29:09,748 you know, the rest of the world. 599 00:29:09,848 --> 00:29:11,984 And so our time actually together was very, very, 600 00:29:12,050 --> 00:29:13,585 very minimal. 601 00:29:14,653 --> 00:29:17,623 Really at the end of the day, we want Dad. 602 00:29:17,723 --> 00:29:18,657 We want a dad, we want him. 603 00:29:20,425 --> 00:29:21,760 - Hey? 604 00:29:21,827 --> 00:29:22,928 How y'all doing, huh? 605 00:29:22,995 --> 00:29:25,163 I was putting the future and the stability of my own 606 00:29:25,230 --> 00:29:27,232 children at risk. 607 00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:32,838 I was out 3 straight weeks, 21 days, 21 cities. 608 00:29:34,439 --> 00:29:39,211 I'm really only off six days in a month. 609 00:29:40,245 --> 00:29:41,446 - Fun. 610 00:29:41,513 --> 00:29:43,849 But at the same time, uh, you know, we missed Dad a lot, too. 611 00:29:44,650 --> 00:29:47,986 Part of my life growing up, I would see Dad, you know, 612 00:29:47,986 --> 00:29:49,921 maybe a couple of times a year. 613 00:29:49,988 --> 00:29:54,326 - It was just a fantasy out there that I cou-- 614 00:29:54,393 --> 00:29:55,661 I needed reality. 615 00:29:55,761 --> 00:29:57,462 I was raising three boys. 616 00:29:57,562 --> 00:29:59,865 I could not live in that. 617 00:30:03,101 --> 00:30:06,271 - The Million Dollar Man lived that character 618 00:30:06,338 --> 00:30:08,040 in and out of the ring. 619 00:30:08,106 --> 00:30:10,042 And I'm sure the-the other-- the boys didn't like it 620 00:30:10,108 --> 00:30:11,176 [laughs] 621 00:30:11,243 --> 00:30:13,312 because, you know, they're sharing rental cars, 622 00:30:13,312 --> 00:30:15,914 and he's traveling around in limousines ' 623 00:30:15,914 --> 00:30:17,416 cause he's The Million Dollar Man. 624 00:30:19,184 --> 00:30:22,154 - Separate dressing room, coming in a little later than normal. 625 00:30:23,322 --> 00:30:25,524 And it just felt a little different sometimes, 626 00:30:25,590 --> 00:30:29,161 staying out, uh, a little late sometimes at some of the bars 627 00:30:29,227 --> 00:30:30,462 and partying and having a good time. 628 00:30:30,562 --> 00:30:31,830 Where before, the old Ted DiBiase really 629 00:30:31,897 --> 00:30:33,432 didn't do it, you know. 630 00:30:33,832 --> 00:30:35,701 And so I think that really had a change 631 00:30:35,801 --> 00:30:36,735 in his home life and his life. 632 00:30:36,802 --> 00:30:38,203 And I think it affected everything. 633 00:30:39,104 --> 00:30:40,505 - Ted ran hard. 634 00:30:42,074 --> 00:30:44,676 I mean, partied and ran hard. 635 00:30:45,544 --> 00:30:49,715 - Maybe we partied a little too much sometimes, you know. 636 00:30:49,781 --> 00:30:53,819 I think he probably had a problem with that, too, 637 00:30:53,919 --> 00:30:56,188 and I think he got himself in trouble. 638 00:30:56,722 --> 00:31:00,959 - I always kind of likened it to selling your soul to the devil 639 00:31:01,026 --> 00:31:02,961 because you're gonna make a lot of money. 640 00:31:03,028 --> 00:31:06,498 You're gonna be more famous than you could have ever imagined. 641 00:31:06,598 --> 00:31:08,366 There's no, really, relationship. 642 00:31:08,433 --> 00:31:09,835 I don't know how you keep a relationship going, 643 00:31:09,901 --> 00:31:12,204 not only with your spouse but your children. 644 00:31:13,038 --> 00:31:14,973 The temptations were endless. 645 00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:21,279 - And I got caught up in the life- the lifestyle to a degree. 646 00:31:22,347 --> 00:31:25,717 - I did everything at the house, took care of the home, 647 00:31:25,784 --> 00:31:29,388 took care of the kids, and I was paying the bills one time 648 00:31:29,388 --> 00:31:34,726 and I noticed some charges that were a little suspicious to me. 649 00:31:34,793 --> 00:31:39,564 And so followed up with that and just found out 650 00:31:40,732 --> 00:31:43,835 that Ted had been unfaithful in our marriage. 651 00:31:44,369 --> 00:31:48,840 - And, uh, she confronted me with what she found. 652 00:31:51,243 --> 00:31:54,012 And I said, "I don't wanna talk about this on the phone. 653 00:31:54,079 --> 00:31:55,347 I'll be on the next plane home." 654 00:31:55,447 --> 00:31:56,748 - I said, no, you won't. 655 00:31:56,848 --> 00:31:58,416 You don't live here anymore. 656 00:31:58,483 --> 00:31:59,885 - Click. 657 00:32:04,222 --> 00:32:05,791 That was the worst day of my life. 658 00:32:10,495 --> 00:32:12,030 - I was unfaithful. 659 00:32:14,199 --> 00:32:17,602 When my wife found out and confronted me with it, 660 00:32:18,036 --> 00:32:20,672 it was immediate remorse for me. 661 00:32:22,741 --> 00:32:24,776 "How could you be so stupid? 662 00:32:25,877 --> 00:32:30,882 How could you put something so precious at risk like that?" 663 00:32:31,716 --> 00:32:33,618 And quite frankly, I didn't deserve her. 664 00:32:35,387 --> 00:32:37,589 - So you have to make a decision. 665 00:32:37,589 --> 00:32:38,557 I'm gonna keep this. 666 00:32:38,623 --> 00:32:40,392 I'm gonna grow bitter. 667 00:32:40,458 --> 00:32:41,793 I'm gonna divorce. 668 00:32:41,860 --> 00:32:46,765 I'm gonna make my children's lives hell, uh, 669 00:32:46,832 --> 00:32:49,201 and be gone with him. 670 00:32:49,835 --> 00:32:54,840 Or you can do what a Christian would do. 671 00:32:54,906 --> 00:32:57,375 And that's work through the pain. 672 00:32:58,276 --> 00:33:01,513 - I had accepted that I was gonna lose the best thing 673 00:33:01,580 --> 00:33:04,115 that ever happened to me, that I was a fool, 674 00:33:04,115 --> 00:33:07,152 that I was an idiot, the whole- the whole nine yards. 675 00:33:07,219 --> 00:33:12,224 And, uh, that's when my, uh, journey, I call it back to God, 676 00:33:12,324 --> 00:33:13,391 really began. 677 00:33:14,192 --> 00:33:16,061 During that time, we were counseled 678 00:33:16,161 --> 00:33:19,264 by one of my best friends, Pastor Hal Santos. 679 00:33:22,701 --> 00:33:25,036 - One night, Ted calls me, he is going through a tough time 680 00:33:25,103 --> 00:33:27,072 and he said, "I need your help." 681 00:33:27,639 --> 00:33:32,177 I said, "Let's make a plan how we can get you all here." 682 00:33:32,244 --> 00:33:34,880 Ted and Mel came, and then the boys came. 683 00:33:36,047 --> 00:33:39,484 - We joined him, and went with all of his kids from his church 684 00:33:39,551 --> 00:33:41,987 to this thing up in Chicago. 685 00:33:41,987 --> 00:33:43,788 "There's Ted DiBiase. There's The Million Dollar Man. 686 00:33:43,855 --> 00:33:45,590 What's he doing here?" 687 00:33:45,657 --> 00:33:46,625 Good question. 688 00:33:48,827 --> 00:33:51,830 I went to my knees, I put my nose in the carpet, and I laid 689 00:33:51,830 --> 00:33:54,099 there and cried like a baby and didn't care what a soul in that 690 00:33:54,199 --> 00:33:55,634 room thought. 691 00:33:56,268 --> 00:33:57,536 - And all I could think of was, 692 00:33:57,602 --> 00:34:02,574 "Melanie, God loves Ted as much as He loves you. 693 00:34:03,808 --> 00:34:05,277 He still does." 694 00:34:05,343 --> 00:34:08,079 - And I looked at Mel that day and I said, "If you'll give me 695 00:34:08,146 --> 00:34:12,284 this chance, I'll become the man you thought you married. 696 00:34:12,350 --> 00:34:19,291 And God willing, one day, I'll regain your respect and trust." 697 00:34:20,091 --> 00:34:22,160 That was in March of '92. 698 00:34:23,295 --> 00:34:26,264 - We were stronger because of it. 699 00:34:26,364 --> 00:34:29,634 We probably had a healthier respect for each other than we 700 00:34:29,701 --> 00:34:33,672 did before because you kind of take for granted your partner, 701 00:34:34,472 --> 00:34:36,408 but you shouldn't, you should treasure it. 702 00:34:37,075 --> 00:34:40,412 - His whole life was gonna end for what he knew it. 703 00:34:40,478 --> 00:34:42,480 And to him, that was too huge a price. 704 00:34:42,547 --> 00:34:44,849 And it- and it snapped him back into reality. 705 00:34:45,550 --> 00:34:47,319 - Who are you? 706 00:34:47,385 --> 00:34:48,153 - Hulk Hogan. 707 00:34:48,219 --> 00:34:49,287 - Hulk Hogan? 708 00:34:49,354 --> 00:34:51,590 - The change was immediate. 709 00:34:51,590 --> 00:34:54,392 He waited till it got to a tough place, 710 00:34:54,459 --> 00:34:56,628 but then he found God's grace. 711 00:34:56,628 --> 00:35:00,031 Kept his marriage together, raised kids. 712 00:35:00,732 --> 00:35:02,467 - Well, give me the other monies. 713 00:35:02,467 --> 00:35:04,336 - Give you the other monies? 714 00:35:04,402 --> 00:35:07,238 I don't have any more, that's all of it. 715 00:35:07,305 --> 00:35:08,440 I'm going to get you. 716 00:35:11,443 --> 00:35:12,477 [laughs] 717 00:35:12,544 --> 00:35:15,714 - How do you make that transition to go from superstar 718 00:35:15,714 --> 00:35:19,684 to home where you're expected to just be dad? 719 00:35:21,586 --> 00:35:26,491 He was really good with them in that-- the first few hours, that 720 00:35:26,558 --> 00:35:28,827 first day that he would be home, 721 00:35:28,827 --> 00:35:31,796 he did nothing but play with them. 722 00:35:32,297 --> 00:35:33,898 - Did you get this for daddy? 723 00:35:34,265 --> 00:35:38,003 - And then the next day, he and I would have a kind of a day. 724 00:35:38,069 --> 00:35:39,137 That would be our time. 725 00:35:39,204 --> 00:35:40,905 And then the next day, he was back on the road. 726 00:35:41,673 --> 00:35:47,679 If your dad is playing a character that flashy and fun, 727 00:35:47,746 --> 00:35:49,714 you know, uh, they would try to imitate the laugh. 728 00:35:49,714 --> 00:35:54,619 I would catch them playing with each other, uh, in their rooms 729 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:57,188 when they didn't think I was listening. 730 00:35:57,188 --> 00:35:58,323 They loved it. 731 00:35:59,324 --> 00:36:00,325 - That's everything to you. 732 00:36:00,392 --> 00:36:01,660 Everything. 733 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:04,829 Um, and you wanna be just like him. 734 00:36:05,463 --> 00:36:09,067 [laughs] 735 00:36:09,167 --> 00:36:11,970 - Even to this day, I'm 45 years old and I still, um-- 736 00:36:12,037 --> 00:36:13,838 it chokes me up because, uh- 737 00:36:18,643 --> 00:36:19,844 -I love my dad. 738 00:36:20,912 --> 00:36:24,115 [crowds cheers] 739 00:36:24,115 --> 00:36:26,551 - When you work the type of competitive style that 740 00:36:26,618 --> 00:36:29,587 Ted DiBiase had been working his entire career, 741 00:36:30,789 --> 00:36:32,991 those injuries are gonna pile up. 742 00:36:33,058 --> 00:36:38,430 And by 1993, Ted DiBiase had accumulated so many neck 743 00:36:38,430 --> 00:36:41,700 and back injuries that, really, he-he made the choice 744 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,403 at 39 years old that he'd be better off retiring. 745 00:36:46,504 --> 00:36:49,307 - My dad, Mike DiBiase was 45 years old- 746 00:36:50,275 --> 00:36:52,210 -had a heart attack in the ring and died. 747 00:36:52,744 --> 00:36:54,879 I remember I made a promise to myself that 748 00:36:54,946 --> 00:36:57,215 I wasn't gonna to stay too long. 749 00:36:57,849 --> 00:37:01,519 And I remember telling Mel, I said, "I'm-I'm done." 750 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:04,622 If you gotta step on people, if you gotta be a little bit 751 00:37:04,722 --> 00:37:06,558 cutthroat, then that's what it takes. 752 00:37:06,624 --> 00:37:09,561 - And he was a commentator, he was a manager, 753 00:37:10,662 --> 00:37:13,798 but in the meantime, he wasn't taxing his body 754 00:37:13,865 --> 00:37:17,235 the way he had throughout his in-ring career. 755 00:37:17,235 --> 00:37:20,205 And that allowed him time to be with his family and do the other 756 00:37:20,271 --> 00:37:22,240 things he enjoyed doing. 757 00:37:23,274 --> 00:37:27,312 - I was starting to do some of the ministry work then. 758 00:37:27,312 --> 00:37:29,547 'Cause every time I see an invitation and every time I see 759 00:37:29,647 --> 00:37:34,119 the altar full, it takes me back to that moment in my life 760 00:37:34,185 --> 00:37:35,153 that was life-changing. 761 00:37:35,787 --> 00:37:39,691 - The man, you know, changed so much. 762 00:37:40,258 --> 00:37:41,659 I think it saved his life. 763 00:37:49,067 --> 00:37:55,673 - Ted has two legacies, really, that overlap. 764 00:37:55,740 --> 00:37:57,308 Not many people get to say that, 765 00:37:58,476 --> 00:38:02,347 but he had a career in wrestling that is legend worthy. 766 00:38:04,082 --> 00:38:07,719 The second half of his life, he's left a legacy. 767 00:38:08,052 --> 00:38:10,021 To me, it's much more powerful 768 00:38:10,121 --> 00:38:12,390 than being a legend in a wrestling ring. 769 00:38:13,024 --> 00:38:16,127 - You might have made choices that were bad choices, 770 00:38:16,194 --> 00:38:17,996 you can't do anything about your past. 771 00:38:18,062 --> 00:38:20,365 Today is the first day of the rest of your life. 772 00:38:20,431 --> 00:38:23,034 - He really believes what he's saying, 773 00:38:23,034 --> 00:38:25,937 and he does walk the talk. 774 00:38:26,004 --> 00:38:27,906 He's not gonna shove it down your throat, 775 00:38:28,006 --> 00:38:29,440 but if you want to talk about it, he will. 776 00:38:30,074 --> 00:38:32,210 - There's a lot of haters out there, I don't believe the hype, 777 00:38:32,277 --> 00:38:34,546 I judge people by their actions. 778 00:38:34,646 --> 00:38:38,016 So I judged Ted on who he is and how he treats people, 779 00:38:38,082 --> 00:38:41,219 and I think he's, uh, a great man. 780 00:38:41,653 --> 00:38:43,621 - Lord, I pray that You would touch those lives tonight 781 00:38:43,721 --> 00:38:45,356 and that You would give them freedom. 782 00:38:45,957 --> 00:38:49,561 - So many other guys that I'd worked with, uh, 783 00:38:49,627 --> 00:38:52,197 their lives didn't end up so well, and so many of, uh- 784 00:38:52,263 --> 00:38:53,398 of them are gone now. 785 00:38:53,464 --> 00:38:58,369 And, you know, thank God that Ted found that path, 786 00:39:00,171 --> 00:39:01,973 - Ups and downs, whether, you know, good or bad, 787 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,509 the main thing that sticks out in me in dad's legacy, 788 00:39:04,609 --> 00:39:05,410 he said-- 789 00:39:05,510 --> 00:39:07,312 Dad was always-always been consistent. 790 00:39:09,047 --> 00:39:11,916 Whether he's wrestling or speaking, 791 00:39:11,916 --> 00:39:13,518 Dad comes from the heart. 792 00:39:13,985 --> 00:39:16,788 - The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase. 793 00:39:16,788 --> 00:39:22,060 [applause] 794 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:24,762 - Ted was excited to get that recognition 795 00:39:24,829 --> 00:39:27,065 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 796 00:39:27,165 --> 00:39:28,466 He had a great career. 797 00:39:28,533 --> 00:39:29,267 He worked hard. 798 00:39:29,267 --> 00:39:31,135 It meant everything to him. 799 00:39:31,202 --> 00:39:36,174 In his work life, that was his passion. 800 00:39:36,241 --> 00:39:40,278 I mean, he gave literally blood, sweat, and tears 801 00:39:40,278 --> 00:39:41,512 to that business. 802 00:39:42,513 --> 00:39:44,015 - I guess as The Million Dollar Man, I- 803 00:39:44,082 --> 00:39:48,686 I hate to admit that there are some moments in time and 804 00:39:48,753 --> 00:39:53,725 some things in life that just really can't put a price tag on. 805 00:39:55,159 --> 00:40:00,431 And for Ted DiBiase, tonight is that priceless night. 806 00:40:00,431 --> 00:40:04,936 I feel so fortunate to have been chosen to be this guy. 807 00:40:05,637 --> 00:40:07,839 - I think that Ted will forever be known as 808 00:40:07,906 --> 00:40:09,641 The Million Dollar Man. 809 00:40:10,608 --> 00:40:13,278 It was a great gimmick, and I think Ted wore it well. 810 00:40:13,278 --> 00:40:16,080 - I think one of the greatest characters of all time. 811 00:40:16,147 --> 00:40:18,316 - 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. 812 00:40:18,383 --> 00:40:19,651 Oops. 813 00:40:19,717 --> 00:40:23,154 - People know who The Million Dollar Man is, you know, and 814 00:40:23,221 --> 00:40:25,390 it-it goes from the laugh- 815 00:40:25,390 --> 00:40:27,825 [laughs] 816 00:40:27,926 --> 00:40:29,594 -to the theatrics, 817 00:40:29,661 --> 00:40:33,064 to just being the guy, Ted DiBiase. 818 00:40:34,866 --> 00:40:36,167 - People ask me, even now, they go, 819 00:40:36,234 --> 00:40:37,969 "Well, are there times when you miss it?" 820 00:40:39,837 --> 00:40:41,873 I love the business, I thank the fans all the time. 821 00:40:43,341 --> 00:40:44,842 I'm satisfied. 822 00:40:44,909 --> 00:40:48,279 You know, I- I'm satisfied with where I am. 823 00:40:50,915 --> 00:40:53,284 And I certainly have to thank my wife. 824 00:40:53,751 --> 00:40:56,421 You put up with a lot of garbage you didn't have to put up with. 825 00:40:56,521 --> 00:41:00,992 You-you forgave me for a lot, and you gave me a second chance, 826 00:41:00,992 --> 00:41:02,827 and I'll never forget you for it. 827 00:41:02,827 --> 00:41:03,795 You're my rock. 828 00:41:05,029 --> 00:41:05,997 What you doing? 829 00:41:06,097 --> 00:41:09,968 Oh, okay, you gonna go to Honey first, aren't you? 830 00:41:10,034 --> 00:41:13,638 - He is the best grandfather ever. 831 00:41:13,705 --> 00:41:18,309 We literally do not miss an opportunity to be with them. 832 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:23,448 - I don't want to be remembered as being a great wrestler, 833 00:41:23,514 --> 00:41:27,952 but a man who truly loved and served his family. 834 00:41:27,952 --> 00:41:28,920 And you know what? 835 00:41:28,986 --> 00:41:29,821 - What? 836 00:41:29,921 --> 00:41:32,690 - You cannot escape the tickle monster. 837 00:41:32,757 --> 00:41:37,962 [laughs] 838 00:41:39,097 --> 00:41:41,366 This is one of those moments in my life 839 00:41:42,433 --> 00:41:44,402 when I wish my dad were here. 840 00:41:45,436 --> 00:41:49,207 And I think that he would pat me on the back, and he would say, 841 00:41:49,674 --> 00:41:52,510 "Job well done. I'm proud of you, son." 842 00:41:52,610 --> 00:41:55,880 There's nothing more that I ever wanted. 843 00:41:58,349 --> 00:42:04,088 Before I go, just in case there's any doubt 844 00:42:04,155 --> 00:42:05,890 left in your mind. 845 00:42:05,957 --> 00:42:12,230 That what I have said for so many years is true 846 00:42:13,798 --> 00:42:16,167 because you see, 847 00:42:16,234 --> 00:42:19,637 everybody's got a price for The Million Dollar Man. 848 00:42:19,704 --> 00:42:20,872 Including you. 849 00:42:20,972 --> 00:42:26,677 [laughs] 850 00:42:26,744 --> 00:42:29,514 - I'll be the richest wrestler that ever lived, Ted DiBiase, 851 00:42:29,514 --> 00:42:30,548 The Million Dollar Man. 852 00:42:30,648 --> 00:42:31,716 I don't know why- 853 00:42:31,716 --> 00:42:33,518 why Vince didn't call him the Billion Dollar Man. 854 00:42:33,785 --> 00:42:43,761 ♪